Chapter 257: Unnecessary Welcome II

[There were more, Ned.]

To aid Ned from the swarm of Kruthik, ICE had to be employed so that Ned wouldn't miss one thing that may result in an error. With ICE on guard, Ned doesn't need to worry about his blind spots.

After he released Fireballs, Ned landed beside Katolin.

The aftermath of the blast from his spell created a cloud of dust that obscured their visions, and so does the beasts. Katolin stood with her limbs acted as her feet while his human feet hangs beside Ned. She towered Ned but that doesn't let her think that she was stronger than him.

Ned had deliberately hit the ground instead of the Kruthiks to let Katolin breathe with ease, and to let the blast make a gap between them. But now that the clouds of dust were about to disappear. Silhouette of protruding spikes were sticking out behind their backs. Ned counted dozens, to his right, another dozen to his left.

Behind him, was Katolin with her back facing Ned. They stood back-to-back. But no matter how tight their position the amount of the Kruthik's surrounding them was putting great pressure on Ned.

Katolin extended her limbs, stabbing the Kruthik that peeked its head out of the cloud of dust.

Another spike went through the clouds, leaving traces of dust along the way. Ned, without any weapon in hand, produced the broken Butterfly out of nowhere and blocked the spike. Gaining a shriek on the other side of the cloud. With his sword broken in half, its reach wasn't enough to extend and hit the beast gaining a frown from Ned.

I should find a reliable weapon, Ned thought. Without much choice, Ned conjured Fireball and exploded point-blank on the Kruthik's face.

"Will you be alright, ~Ned?" Katolin asked with her voice in a lullaby under her helmet made of an exoskeleton which she could freely control. But the control of her scale still determined by the amount of mana she has.

"I will," Ned replied. Brandishing his sword as the clouds were thinning. "But not for long with all these Kruthiks surrounding us."

The Kruthik's number was equivalent to one raiding party, and out of six, there were only two of them. But currently, even Ned wasn't fully aware of Katolin's extent of powers and abilities. So Ned assumed, she was equivalent to at least ten normal Kruthiks.

The burden of their situation deepened after the cloud of dust disappeared and in the distance, near the mouth of the cave, were a pair of stronger Kruthiks.

Katolin laughed with the approaching Kruthik. With her excitement rising, she instinctively conjured lighting and hit the surrounding beasts in a chain. The unplanned spell, however, nearly grazed Ned.

Ned sighed. He has to give Katolin a good scolding after all these. As if the graze wasn't enough, Katolin controlled her mana and let them flow to her limbs, and threw herself toward the approaching pair of Kruthiks.

"No!" Ned shouted. But this wasn't enough to wake Katolin out of her desperation.

Ned could not allow this kind of subordination, especially if they formed a party. But Ned knew that Katolin was acting this way toward the Kruthiks since they were the ones that almost wiped out her team, and almost killed her.

Ned had to adapt to his current situation, the scolding will come later.

Under his display in red were numbers mostly showing the weaknesses of their enemies. Neck was their softest part, and eyes being their main weakness.

Their situation was the type wherein Ned does not need to hold back. Thus activating Overclock was only necessary. Ned knew his time on Overclock was shorten but it must be done.

The Silk Road he wore oozed with steam. Unlike normal clothing Ned had worn so far, the steam was leaving his body through the tiny holes of the Silk Road. As adrenaline pumped to his veins, Ned vanished from his spot.

One of the Kruthik's head fell and rolled. Came another, then another. If not the head then their neck was left with cut before collapsing to the ground.

This speed of killing was only possible against the thick scales of the Kruthiks with aid of Overclock and the Vanishing Stance in the first form. Ned thrust in counted and precise control as what Roy had taught him. But this feat carries a great recoil on his body. His energy was depleting at a rapid rate that even Ned had to cancel Overclock every time he was doing nothing or was preparing for his next attack.

Ned killed seven Kruthik in one Boost of his Overclock. But this wasn't enough. Dozens were left dazed after seeing the other killed right before their eyes.

Mindless beast with the motive of only killing would only kill. Thus, giving off their weaknesses without them realizing it.

But killing them all wasn't part of Ned's plans. He was reducing them only to give them room for an escape.

Ned stood with the wall of the cave against his back. Although the Kruthiks has the mind to kill, Ned's position was a delight to them since he was flanked against the wall. But Ned knew about this, he did it to have an open view of the battlefield and to have a good view of Katolin taking on the much stronger Kruthiks.

To his left was the entrance to the cave adorned with the crystals, it was only six meters away from Ned. But Ned could not leave Katolin.

Yet, a smile was formed on Ned's face. The mana was thick and he got room for more spells that he could conjure.

So, he started. He wanted to reduce more of the Kruthik since some of them were headed towards Katolin.

Ned threw a fireball, hitting the nearest beast. Then another, and another, and another. Orbs of scorching fire hovered above them. One by one, Kruthiks fell with dark smoke leaving their bodies.

This made the pair, that were fighting Katolin, issued a command. With a screech reaching the depts of Ned's ear. The Kruthiks that were marching toward Ned changes direction. None faced Ned, instead, their aggressiveness was now directed toward Katolin.

"This is bad," Ned grumbled under his breath. Conjuring spells left his body weakened. Ned had shot dozens of fireballs. A feat he wasn't supposed to be doing with his current level of body.

But as more spells Ned conjured, he was also gathering proficiency making his spell more powerful the more he used them.

"Katolin!" Ned cried while he brandished his broken Butterfly. "Leave them! We leave now!"

The issue woke up Katolin. Realizing her current situation, she was stunned to see that the beasts were surrounding her.

Ned could cut through their lines with his remaining energy. But what about going back?

Mana aside, he got enough. But fireballs were not enough to make it in time beside Katolin. What he needed was speed. Unless he could wipe the enemy with one powerful spell.

But Ned need not hesitate. Katolin was his now, and he needed to save her.

Raising his hand, he conjured Egnious. Depending on the mana he injected was the size and the strength of the spell. With thick mana around, Ned had conjured his biggest Egnious so far, almost a foot in diameter. With dozens of Kruthik between him and Katolin, the size was more than enough to blast the swarm of them. With his precise control, Ned shot the Egnious.

The blast broke the crystals upon impact, limbs, and, heads, and spikes flew around the cave.

Ned's control was precise that the blast did not reach Katolin and the pair of the stronger Kruthik. But sure wiped out most of the little ones.

The Egnious spell made a massive hole between him and Katolin. At the same time.

The astounding sight in the cave gave Katolin the time to escape and appeared beside Ned. Her skin as armor chipped and cracked, her helmet was also cracked to half. She was speeling deep red blood. But her eyes show regret and sadness as he looked at Ned. She opened her mouth like a koi. She was about to say something but Ned raised a hand to stop her.

"Not now," he said.

Then a rumble reverberated outside the cave.

Ned's eyes widened while Katolin does the same.

There weren't only one or a dozen, there were hundreds of feet or spikes approaching them.

Ned's eye darted at the hole where they exited underwater. It was covered and shut off completely with rocks and crystals. Ned thought for a moment to get back to the hole where they came from. Ned cursed under his breath.

Then one massive roar echoed inside the caves and tunnels.

Beside them was the entrance of the cave.

"We're trapped here," Ned said. "We need to leave, and you listen to me, now."

Katolin nodded and said, "I'm so sor—"

The entrance was blasted with rocks and crystals with some limbs from the Kruthik. The cause was a massive spike. Peeking its head in the entrance, the massive Kruthik screech seeing Ned and Katolin.

Katolin twitched and took a step back.

But seeing the massive Kruthik, Katolin let out a scream with her hands conjuring a fireball and an orb of wind magic. Her limbs were also enforced with mana.

She got all the reasons to act this way.

The massive Kruthik was also the one that caused her to almost die.

It was the Evolved Kruthik from before.